He and his father had done all these things together? Alex looked at the tear tracks on his father’s face, his still brimming eyes, so filled with pleasure and love. He said, “You really recognize me, sir?”
His father blinked. “Recognize you? Of course, you’re my son, you’re Graham. Your mother selected your name.”But what of Simon? Do you know where he is?Questions for later, but not now, now he had Graham and he would be grateful for the rest of his life. Graham—ah, the taste of his son’s name in his mind, it was exhilarating. He never released his son as he said to Ryder, “Sir, how come you to be with my son? Where has he been? What happened?”
Ryder smiled. “It is a remarkable tale of happenstance, my lord. Alex—no, Graham—has lived with me for eleven years now. He is my legal ward. In this instance the Lord did indeed work in a mysterious way. As I said, we found you quite by happenstance.”
Vereker stared at him. “You said you have kept my son safefor eleven years? I do not understand, why happenstance? Why didn’t you bring him home to me immediately?”
Alex—Graham—said slowly, “Sir, I fear when my guardian saved me, I was nearly dead, drowned in the Thames, in London. When I mended, I had no memory of who I was.” He searched his father’s face. “I still don’t know. I’m very sorry, sir, but I do not recognize you.”
The earl stared from his son to Ryder and back again. “You were nearly drowned? You recovered with no memory? You have amnesia? But how is this? What do you mean you were in London? You and your brother and tutor were supposed to be in Paris. What happened?”
Before either Graham or Ryder could answer, the door opened and a very pretty woman marched into the room, lovely pearl gray skirts swishing.
CHAPTER 26
“Papa? What is this? Blakeney told me not to disturb you and tried to keep me out, said you had urgent business, but—is this Mr. Sherbrooke? Is he your urgent business? And this other gentleman?” She stopped. “Is everything all right? Did Mr. Sherbrooke bring you bad news?” She saw the young man was staring at her. She cocked her head to the side. “I do not understand, I—” Her voice fell off the cliff. She stared from Ryder to Alex. “What is going on here?”
Alex, no Graham—he had to accustom himself now to thinking of himself as Graham, not a bad name, just not his, not really, but it was. It was. He was Graham Hepburn now. He stared at his sister, Eugenie, older, thirty, Vicar Piercebridge had said. She was tall, statuesque, beautifully gowned in elegant silver showcasing pale soft shoulders, diamonds at her throat and in her ears. Her thick black hair was swept back from a center part, thick bunches of curls falling against her face. She had the look of him, yes, her eyes, not blue, but light gray like his father’s. She was his sister,his sister. He said, barely above a whisper, “Eugenie?”
She frowned at him. “I do not know you, sir. You may address me as Lady Eugenie. And just who are you?”
Graham studied her face closely as he said, some humor in his voice, “Evidently I am your brother Graham.”
“My what? My brother?Come, don’t be ridiculous, that is impossible!” She waved her fist at him. “Graham and Simon are dead, eleven years dead, do you hear me, nothing heard from either of them. So many men my father sent out to search for them, but nothing. They are dead, do you hear me?
“Father, you cannot believe this young man to be Graham?” She didn’t wait for her father to speak, whirled back to Graham. “You look nothing like Graham. You are an abomination, a fraud, an imposter, you are despicable, do you hear me? You’re here to convince my father you’re a long-lost son, but you’re really here to try to take what is mine—”
“Eugenie.” Vereker’s voice was whip sharp.
She heaved a breath, stared at Ryder, and couldn’t help herself. “You, sir, I knew my father expected you, all of it a mystery, but obviously you are in on this swindle, are you not? Look at you, dressed like your betters, but you don’t fool me, you’re in on this fraud with him, pushing this ridiculous person off on my father—”
“Eugenie! That will be enough. You will be quiet.”
Eugenie gulped an angry breath, took a step toward Graham. Vereker grabbed her arm, gave her a shake. “You will attend me, Eugenie. Now, look at the young man—it is your brother, Graham. No, do not shake your head, look at his eyes. LOOK AT HIS EYES.”
It seemed like an hourglass had emptied before she whispered, shaking her head, “His eyes? They’re just eyes. No, he looks nothing like Graham, nothing. It can’t be Graham, he disappeared, he and Simon were gone, eleven years gone. They’re trying to deceive you, Father.”
“Yes,” Graham said slowly, “I was gone, but thankfullynot dead. I was living with Mr. Ryder Sherbrooke, who is not a sharp or a fraud. He is my guardian, for eleven years now. He came with me to support me. Believe me, he is not here to convince your father to recognize me.”
Eugenie shook off her father’s hand and walked slowly to Graham. She stopped directly in front of him, stared up at him. “You are a stranger. You look nothing like the Graham I remember.”
He smiled down at his older sister, but not all that far down for she was tall, deep-bosomed, quite lovely, really, her father’s gray eyes. “Well, evidently I am Graham,” he said slowly, taking in her face, so many hints and whispers of his own. “Actually, Vicar Piercebridge said I have our mother’s blue eyes. You’re beautiful.” He raised his hand, touched his fingers to her white cheek.
Eugenie hiccupped, and fainted dead away. Graham caught her.
Vereker said without ever taking his eyes off his son, “She has always fainted when alarmed or shocked. It began when she was a little girl and a garden snake tried to slither under her dress. She will revive quickly. If she isn’t too heavy, just hold her and she will be herself again in but a moment.”
Vereker rubbed his large, graceful hands together. “If you would not mind, my son”—ah, how he relished the sound of that—“now that we’ve had our Drury Lane drama and once your sister has revived, we will dine. You will meet your sister’s husband, Donner Oxbridge, Viscount Morley’s son. Graham, Mrs. Sample, our cook, is still here and she will be flying from the kitchen to hug you until your ribs crack.” He looked over at Ryder. “I owe you everything, sir. I am in your debt forever.”
Ryder merely smiled. “I was the fortunate one. Graham has been mine for eleven years. There is a great deal to tell you.”
Vereker nodded. “After dinner, we will talk.” He threw back his head and laughed, a full-bodied, joyful laugh that filled the room.
Blakeney said from the doorway, “Ah, a perfect day, my lord, beyond perfect—a wondrous miracle. When Lady Eugenie revives, you will dine on Cook’s splendid boiled knuckle of ham.”
A man’s curious voice came from the doorway. “What is this? Why are you holding Eugenie in your arms? My lord, what happened?”
Vereker said, “Donner, Eugenie naturally fainted at the sight of her brother Graham, newly returned to us.”
